Vancouver’s embrace of laneway homes has meant we can live close to our family -- in their back yard! Our previous condo gave us more floor space, but our custom-built laneway home fits us like a bespoke suit. The reverse plan tucks our main-floor bedroom into a steep slope for a dark, quiet sleep. To accommodate our different schedules, the clothes closet has been moved outside the bedroom into a hallway near the bath -- with a pocket door to give me a dressing area. The upper-storey kitchen gives us everything we need plus a comfortable sitting room. We have limited display space so we switch up our accessories to match the season, curating our collection of beloved photos and chatchkes. Attention was paid every step of the way in building and designing an energy efficient house -- we even have a living roof. My husband has the spacious work studio he always dreamt of, and we have our permanent home.

Three of My Best Tips and Tricks for Creating a Successful Small Space:

1. Dive into downsizing a small space -- you will be much more open to ridding yourself of extraneous stuff after you find you live better without it.
2. Even if you can’t use furniture to add style (no room for that antique armoire), you can put up the lights you love and the wall artwork that speaks to you.
3. Don’t bring anything into the house you’ll have to store. New clothes replace older ones (donated). Go paperless. Buy a reading device rather than keeping all your books.